… Computer networks have become much easier to install and use. You don’t need a dedicated server, and many companies find that a local network can be worth the investment if only to share resources such as an Internet connection or a fast printer. And now, it’s easier than ever to share data on a network as well.
You can easily share data by allowing other computers on the network to see a portion of your computer’s hard drive, but the data is only accessible to others when your computer is running. A separate storage system than anyone can access at any time gets around that problem. Such products, known as Network Attached Storage — or NAS — make for an affordable and sophisticated small business solution. (They also are very handy at home, where they can make digital media such as MP3 audio files available to all computers on a home network.)
As its name implies, a NAS device attaches directly to your network. Connect it using an Ethernet cable; you can plug it right into any switch or router. Then plug the power cable into an outlet. If it will be a mission-critical component, consider getting a standby power supply for it.
When you turn it on, the device will boot up, communicate with your network, and obtain a network address. At that point, it’s ready to go.
Configuring the device is generally easy as well. If you want to change the default settings — such as defining groups or limiting the access to certain folders (more on these options below) — the device’s utilities will step you through it. In almost all cases, the device will have a Web page contained in its controller which you can access using any browser. Type the IP address into your browser, and you’ll typically be presented with a login screen where you’ll be asked for a name and password. From there, you’ll be able to set up users and groups, backup settings, and enable features such as Web access.
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Along with the hard drives, the NAS device box contains a computer dedicated to running the NAS tasks. It’s probably running Linux, but all you need to know is that you can access its features by using the system administration software that came with device. Different devices may offer different functions, but some are of particular interest to small businesses. Note that not all devices may have all these features. And it’s also important to realize that while these features may be available, you don’t have to use them if you don’t want them.
Although the whole point of a NAS device is to let individual computers on a network access files, you may not want to give everyone in the company access to all the shared information. Most systems let you define who can access which folders on the drive.You can assign access rights to individuals or to groups. Thus everyone in a Sales group might be able to access all proposals and bids, but they won’t be able to access employee information. You can also provide individuals with their own folders so that they can keep private files on the device.
Some NAS devices can also host a printer, so that you can use it to share a printer.
Some NAS devices can also copy data from a USB drive automatically, placing the data in a shared folder.
Most NAS devices come with backup software, but since you can map a shared folder to your computer, you generally can use any backup software you want. This can make it easier for everyone in the company to backup all critical files that are stored locally on their computer to the NAS device. (You should still have procedures that create backup copies that can be stored off-site, but it’s a lot better than no backups at all.) By using an automatic feature that causes certain folders to be backed up at certain times, you can make it easier for people to copy their valuable data, and thus make it more likely that they will do it.
If your company network is connected to the Internet, some NAS devices have will let you access the shared data remotely. For example, you arrive at a prospect’s office and discover that you didn’t bring some supporting documentation that you need for a bid. Just log onto the NAS device and copy the file you need. You can also upload files you’ve created in the field to the NAS device, so that others in the company can access them as well.
Some NAS devices also support Internet FTP (File Transfer Protocol) that allows users to upload or download files to a specific part of the NAS device over the Internet. This can be especially handy when someone is trying to send you a file that is too large for email, or when you have such a file that you’re trying to send to them.
A NAS device can solve a lot of small business problems and make your access to important data far more efficient, so there’s little reason not to start using one on your system right away.
Read the whole article: PC World
